Classical trajectory approach to photodissociation: The Wigner method

A time‐dependent semiclassical method for generating energy‐dependent photodissociation partial cross sections is presented. The method is based on the Wigner equivalent formulation of quantum mechanics with the semiclassical limit arising from one dynamical approximation: the replacement of the quantum Liouville operator by its h/→0 limit. The results of the present scheme for the collinear dissociation of ICN on a single dissociative surface are compared to those obtained from a distorted‐wave analysis and a semiclassical wave packet propagation. A model calculation employing standard trajectory techniques indicates that the present method has several distinct advantages over the traditional quasiclassical approach.